Video: Israeli gay couple in YouTube plea for help to start a family

A gay couple in Israel have started a campaign, asking for help to start a family after spending their entire savings on several failed surrogacy and adoption attempts, as Israel forbids surrogacy for gay couples.

The gay mobile app Grindr has pledged a weeks worth of revenue towards the couple’s campaign, through its charitable arm Grindr for Equality. The couple are now seeking to find a surrogate in the US.

As well as donating revenue to Grindr for Equality, the app will also feature an advert which will encourages others to donate money towards the efforts of couple Yuval and Liran.

The couple posted the YouTube video asking for help after several failed attempts at surrogacy abroad, and after being declined for adoption through several channels.

In the video they say they feel “castrated” by the law in Israel which does not allow surrogacy for gay couples, and tell their story about spending their entire savings, over $120,000 (£78,000) on the attempts.

Their campaign asks supporters to post photographs of themselves with the message: “We want them to have a baby too”. Joan Rivers is among those who have already shown support for the campaign.

Grindr will donate a week’s worth of revenue made from the sale of its paid version Grindr Xtra, towards the campaign.

Joel Simkhai, CEO and founder of Grindr said: “I read about Yuval and Liran’s emotional personal story and was impressed by their creativity in pursuing their dream of fatherhood, and their persistence, recruiting international celebrities such as Joan Rivers, to help raise awareness that in so many parts of the world the joy of parenthood and other aspects of family are still not available to gays who are not equals in the eye of the law.

“We at Grindr believe in giving back to the gay community that’s been so loyal to us and made us the #1 dating app for gays.”

Yuval and Liran are now pursuing surrogacy in America, aided by the LGBT Jewish organisation A Wider Bridge.